Since I have begun assembling the army of baby paraphernalia, cribs, bouncy seats, mobiles, monitors, soothers, I have come to the realization that I will need 8,247 AA batteries to power everything.
Anything that vibrates, blinks, plays music, makes noise when kicked or lights up will require AA batteries, usually between 4 and 6 each. Some use C's, some use D's, but they're all energy thirsty.
I strongly suggest stocking up on some batteries before the big day to make sure your fleet of baby and pregnancy-related items are powered and ready to roll, blink or buzz. I prefer to use rechargeables because they save money over time and are better for the environment. I've got a bunch of chargers going just to make sure we're all set.
If you're looking to buys some, Amazon has the Sony Quick Battery Charger with 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries
Prenatal checklist: Stock up on batteries
Fetal Doppler
I came across Fetal Doppler machines on the web and I'm tossing around the idea of renting or buying one. There is no real need for a fetal Doppler, but they give you the ability to hear your child's heartbeat whenever you choose which I find rather cool. They're expensive to buy, but might be worth it if we have more than one kid and my wife wouldn't kill me for shelling out a few c-notes on one of these.
Stork Radio rents units of varying complexity from $20 to $50 per month and cost from $279 to $599 for purchase. You won't be able to hear the baby's heart until the 2-3 month range, so plan on a 6-7 month rental putting you between $120 and $350 to rent depending on the model and length of time.
It's one of those nice-to-haves that my wife would initially yell at me for buying an expensive geek toy, but would later love.